Tue, 04 Sep 2018 08:46:06 +1200WeeblyWed, 28 Feb 2018 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/what-to-do-when-you-feel-like-total-crapGod, yesterday I felt like the world was going to shut down on me, I felt like ‘what’s the point’…about pretty much everything in my life. But God, should I even be having this conversation right now, or something else?

This.

God, I think I just made that up, I don’t think you said that?

It was me.

No God, I think I made it up! I think that was me, not you. I think it’s just because I want to have a conversation about this. I’ve been wanting to since yesterday.

I said it Mark, you didn’t make it up.

Are you sure?

Sure.

Okaaaay.

Mark, the reason you’ve been wanting to have a conversation about it, is I’ve been encouraging you to do so.

True?

True.

Ok, alright, but I don’t feel like that anymore. I was feeling like total crap, man it was bad, but the feeling’s gone.

Yes, it has. Why?

Because I did something about it.

Did it work right away?

No. Well, maybe it did? I’m not sure, but it didn’t ‘feel’ like it worked right away.

It did work right away.

Honestly?

Honestly. Mark, feelings like that take a little longer to go away than the problem they grow out of. Feelings aren’t the thing, they’re the result of the thing, the sign to you that the thing exists. Pain from a burn isn’t the problem, the problem is the burn, the feelings warn you to pull your hand away.

Ok, cool. Well, now that I’m having this conversation I’m not sure why I am, because I’m not feeling like that anymore.

No, but having this conversation will teach you, and those who read it, what to do when you feel like total crap. So what did you do to solve the problem?

God, you did NOT just say total crap!

Actually I did. You’re scurrying off to find that verse about ‘coarse language’, but Mark what it’s talking about is obscenity - ‘crap’, is another term for poo and is not obscene in your society. You Christians don’t use it in church, but you use it all the time in daily life. I’m that same Jesus who cursed the fig tree just because it didn’t give me fruit. Was that a little excessive? In some eyes yes, so can we move along? What did you do to solve the problem?

Well God, let’s be honest, it wasn’t quite as organised and calm as you’re making it sound. ‘Solve the problem’ doesn’t do it justice really. The truth is that I sort of screamed out to you, a bit panicked, a bit pissed off - I felt like I was going down the gurgler.

Sure. You’re human, Mark, not a computer - it doesn’t come out all organised. You forget that you can’t be God, only I can do that. You’re far better off sticking to being human, and human isn’t perfect - human is bloody, smelly, mixed up, emotional, and from my point of view, absolutely perfect. Mark, I don’t want you to be God, there are three of us already, plenty to go around, we want you to be human, you do a much better job of that.

Really God? We get taught you're not very happy with the job we do.Hmmm… I’ll give you a more accurate translation of a pivotal scripture; ‘For God so highly esteemed the world that he gave his only son’. Highly esteemed! We’re not nearly so unhappy with you as you think - you all need a better grip of the truth, Mark. We created you with the idea of expansion and multiplication, and as far as we’re concerned, the more of you the better. Papa’s immortal words in Paul Young's The Shack, are much closer to the truth about how I feel about you all, “I am especially fond of you”.

Ok well, God, aren’t we meant to be talking about the way I felt yesterday?

We are. Among other things.

Other things?

We’ve already touched on some of them, others can wait for a moment. There's something you need to know about yesterday, actually a couple of things that are particularly important.

Really? This is honestly important? Now that it's over I’m feeling a bit embarrassed, God. I was a bit of a cot case yesterday, I certainly wouldn't have wanted to tell anyone the way I was feeling. I thought, well, like I said, I thought I was being a bit of a cry baby, like I should just suck it up and get on with things.

That doesn't always work. Sometimes you have to deal with the cause. So how did the conversation between you and me go when you ‘screamed out’ for help?

Well I told you that I felt like…

You ‘told’ me?? You just said that you screamed.

Well ok, I might have overdramatised that a bit. I didn’t actually scream, in fact there wasn't anything verbal at all, I just wrote to you like I’m doing here and you gave me the words to write back for your part of the conversation. I started writing in faith, just like I’m doing here and you gave me the words as I wrote.

Good, ok so you wrote your question to me. What did you write?

That I was feeling like total crap. Shoot, God, do you really want me to post this? I’m not sure they’ll allow it, I’ve used that term umpteen times already.

I’ve used it too, don’t worry about it. Just carry on. What did I say when you asked me what to do?

You showed me that those feeling came from a dark force. I’m not sure, but I think you said demon?

I said demon.

So demon is the best description?

Actually no, but that’s the word you like to use to describe a spiritual force of evil, so I went with it. We can talk another time about the actual beings, and how to determine which are demons, fallen angels, strongmen, principalities, powers etc. But for now, ‘demon’ will do fine.

Are you sure God, it seems a bit loose. Don’t we have to be accurate to fight him, you know, dot all the ‘i’s and cross the ’t's?

Satan tells you that to scare you off. But that's just his propaganda. I make the rules, Mark, not Religion and actually I make very few of them. People have been driving back all sorts of evil and simply referring to it as ‘Satan’ or ‘the Devil' for centuries and I’m relaxed about that. Even though there is only one Satan and he can't be everywhere at once, I’m happy enough to overlook your ignorance in favour of backing your enthusiasm.

Ok, you told me the reason I felt so terrible was because a demon was telling me to feel like that, whispering thoughts of despair and hopelessness in my ear and because his lies felt like…

‘Lies’ doesn’t really do it justice, Mark. Your own description is closer to it. His ‘crap’ made you feel like total crap, and don’t get prudish on me, this is important.

Really God, I like it when you talk like this, but is this is really you?

Yes.

Ok so why is this bit so important?

Mark, when he tells you crap it sticks to you, so understandably you feel like crap.

God, this is never going to get through, they’ll never let me post this. And I feel sorry for the naysayers, they’re way too stuffy to allow you to say words like that. Particularly if you keep saying it like you have here.

You’ll be surprised at who enjoys this conversation, Mark.

Ok carry on, God.

He tells you all sorts of rubbish so you feel like rubbish, but the point, Mark, is this, I told you something else which was the real secret to how you defeated him. I gave you insight to his method.

Ok, well what you said, (as if you need to know)…

You need to know, Mark, and so do your readers.

Ok but, God, I think you’re also saying I need to point out that it was critical that first I asked you what to do.

Yes, in the midst of your panic you sat down and wrote out your questions to me and wrote back my answers, just like you’re doing now. If you don’t ask, you’ll often not hear. You asked and then wrote down my answer without waiting for it to come. That’s so important for people to grasp.

If they want to hear me more than they do now, they need to twist my arm, articulate what I’m saying, grab and reveal to themselves what I’m saying - write, speak, think, sing, whatever works for you, reach out, take and give shape to my words, in some way, BEFORE they come. That’s faith.

Mark, I cannot force myself on you. It has unfortunate long term results. Relationship cannot survive if either of us applies force. The delicate dance of friendship, with anyone, God included, requires choice. Relationship must always be built on choice and never compulsion or force. It never works any other way.

Alright, God, shall I say what you told me to do when I asked why I was feeling so terrible?

Yes. Please.

Please?? You said please God?

Yes, why not? I’m not rude.

Ok you showed me that the demon had made me feel like rubbish and yet not about anything in particular…

Exactly, that’s the key bit I want you to be aware of Mark. He makes you feel like rubbish about nothing in particular. Repeat that for me please so you get it burned into your mind.

Ok. He makes me feel like rubbish about nothing in particular.

Great Mark, do you know why he does that?

You told me yesterday when I asked, God. You explained that he wants me to feel that way because…

Only yesterday?

Well no, you’ve told me this lots of times before.

Yes, but you need to ask again and again. Humanity requires constant reminders and reassurance. That’s fine, it’s how I made you. It ensures you need relationship, with each other and with me.

Alright so what you pointed out was that he makes me feel terrible about nothing in particular, just sort of terrible about everything because…

Yes, Mark. This is absolutely critical.

Really?

Really.

Ok well, you told me the reason that he makes me feel that way about everything, but nothing in particular, is that he’s setting me up to ruin my own day, which is far more destructive than him ruining it for me.

He gets me feeling generally awful about nothing in particular, so that as each new situation comes into my mind, those feelings attach themselves to it and pretty soon I’m feeling like every single thing in my life, all the things I’ve been thinking about, are all total crap.

Yes. Mark, his rubbish sticks to everything. So what’s the answer?

When I recognise that I’m feeling that way, I need to deal with it right there, rather than wait for it to start sticking to everything.

How?

Tell him, command him to bugger off, ‘cut the crap’ and go and suffer in darkness somewhere. Right then. Don’t let the feeling build up and get traction.

That’s all?

Actually no. You told me that the moment I recognise I’m feeling that way, I need to have a proper back and forth conversation with you and get the specific, blow by blow details, of how to deal with this particular author of misery.

That I need to write, speak, think, sing, dance, (whatever works for me) back your answers so I know exactly what you’re telling me to do to him, right then. No waiting around for your answer to float through the universe. I need it then, like David did, ‘The day I cried out you answered me’…

Yes. You need to ask me, in conversation, how to deal with him and then write, speak, think, sing, play, dance, draw etc - whatever works for you – my answers back to yourself. Just start articulating my words and I’ll give you more as you do. And then, follow the suggestions I make.

You need to dispatch him to wherever I say. Do it in conversation, “God shall I tell him such and such? Then what shall I do?” And then write, speak or think etc back my answer. Blow by blow. You need a proper, detailed, back and forth conversation with me to be most effective. You need specifics when you’re dealing with the ones who want to drive you down to despair. You need to get stuck in and do some damage and that’s difficult without up to the minute detail from me.

Just a point God, is ‘he’ the correct term when referring to these guys?

No, not necessarily, but it will do for now. Just relax Mark. Let me call the shots, when I’m involved in the conversations when you’re dealing with the enemies of your mind you’re safe, no matter how inexperienced you are.]]>Wed, 14 Feb 2018 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/change-is-coming-worldwide-change-but-nobodys-readyHi there,

I had the following conversation the day after new year but I’ve been sitting on it ever since because some people might not like this one. It's one of those conversations. But if you can hear God in this, please share it with as many others as you think should see it. Thanks so much.

Mark

Change is coming. Worldwide change, but nobody's ready.

Mark, people in leadership and influence need to be replaced. Either that, or what they’re saying needs to be replaced.

Good grief, God! Where did that come from?? It sounds like those horrible prophecies that stuffy charismatics used to trot out when I was a kid.

Mark, settle down. It’s nothing personal, we’re not angry, not wanting to punish anyone, but it is true. Leaders and influencers everywhere need to be replaced, or what they’re saying does.

God, in my day I swear people wanted to sound like old testament prophets. They’d rant and rave and we’d all run around repenting, although not quite sure what we were repenting for.

Mark, that’s still happening, millions are trapped back there. They think they hear my voice, but what they’re really peddling is Religion and his sinister brother Condemnation. They couldn’t possibly accept what I really want to say to them, which is – I like them just the way they are.

Well, I don’t want to sound like them – and I certainly don’t want to hear you talk about ‘leaders and influencers needing to be replaced’. That’s not my game, God, I want to keep right out of their politics – who the heck am I to say stuff like that?

Mark, this isn’t you, it’s just me. Leaders and influencers need to be replaced.

You’re not going to let up on this are you, God?

No. Leaders and influencers, big and small, from the most famous to the most unknown, need to be replaced – or they need to change what they’re saying. We’re not fussy, they can have it either way.

In most cases it will be their choice, but if they don’t make it, we will make it for them. We have to. We’re cleaning house. Worldwide. Changing how things are done. The leaders and the influencers hold the keys to the hearts of the people and we need the people back.

Oh man, God, I hate it when people start on about ‘God wants the church to repent…’ And ‘thus sayeth the Lord, I will spit out the luke warm blah blah blah’, it’s painfully predictable and so boringly religious – and this is starting to sound like that…

Mark, this isn’t that. I’m not bossing, not imperious, we’re not asking for ‘Christian repentance’ – we just want the people back. Leaders…

Leaders at all levels of Churches and Christian organisations, from mega to tiny. Right down to small groups.

God, can I not be part of this discussion please. I write books that Christians read – antagonising Christian leaders is plain dumb! There’ll be heaps of them reading this.

Exactly! Mark, our aim is not to antagonise. If leaders and influencers have a conversation with us about this; ask US what to do, not their ‘mentors’ and ‘oversights’, we’ll tell them how to let go of their firm grip on the minds and hearts of the people. It’s a simple matter. We may even share some leadership of the people with them, we’ll take that on a case by case basis, but we need the people back. Change is coming. Worldwide change.

This is not the fault of the leaders and influencers themselves, we’re not pointing the finger, you all do that, but we don’t. Leaders didn’t create the system, the system created them. The system has to go! All of it. A completely clean slate.

Whatever that means, God?!?

It’ll be clear enough if people get serious about this and ask us.

God this isn’t more about revival is it? Please no! I’m sorry to be cynical, but everyone’s always on about blimmen revival, and yet when I ask you about it you just change the subject.

No. This is NOT about revival. You Christians want change within the structures you have built, but those structures are built on Religion’s foundation, not ours. This isn’t personal, not a disciplining of those in charge, it’s simply time for change. So few of your leaders know how to hear us, and for that reason most are standing in the way of what we want to do without realising it. They’re holding on to a system that needs to go.

But, God, I’m a ‘leader’ of sorts too. There are thousands who read my books… so I guess I’m probably part of the problem too?

Mark, if you stay in conversation with us, you’ll be safe.

Really, God?? Safe from what, your anger or something?

Mark, we’re NOT ANGRY! We’re just cleaning house. Attending to business. If you stay in conversation with us, back and forth like this, you won’t make the mistake of holding people back. They’re not your people, they’re ours. We’re a wee bit jealous in that regard.

Jealous of who, Christians?

No, people. Humans. Leaders and influencers in Christian organisations are blocking humans, inside and outside of Christianity, from discovering us. Everyone can see that. It’s been a worldwide problem for thousands of years and now it has to stop. Sorry, but it’s true.

How are they blocking people from discovering you, God? Their intention is the opposite for goodness sake.

Mark, organised Christianity has so misrepresented us that your message has become a turbo-charged, music and coffee added, version of the Pharisees’ crippling condemning poppycock. You all need to get honest with yourselves about this.

This will go down like a lead balloon, God.

Mark, it’s time to replace thousands of years of Christian systems. This is the complete strip down and rebuild of Christianity, the removal of systems and the re-establishment of personal relationship – submitted to me, not to man. The complete removal of all existing ‘authorities’. The age of all your little kings is gone. It’s time to reinstate the relationship between man and God with no intermediaries.

Sounds like you’re a bit cross, God??

Not at all. Your enemy has fooled you into thinking I’m inclined to be cross. He’s told you that you cannot hear me because of ‘sin’. He lies. You can hear me irrespective of your behaviour. But you have taken his lie the next step - instead of asking me whether he’s right, you have made it ‘gospel truth’.

You have followed Eve’s lead, argued with him instead of asking me. He’s convinced you that you can’t hear me, and so, to solve the problem, you’ve established complex religious systems and ‘spiritual leaders’ to hear me on your behalf. Over thousands of years you have built an entire system of belief around that lie and appointed others to stand ‘in the gap’ as you call it.

THEY BLOCK THE FLOW

You’re right, they do stand in the gap between us – they block the flow. They stifle the two way conversation I have designed you for. That’s not normally their intention, but your system says your leaders must hear me on your behalf. They say it’s dangerous to hear me direct, they dissuade you from conversation like this – you’ll struggle to find what they’re saying in the scriptures Mark and yet you have all believed it.

Well, what are they supposed to do, God??

Leaders are NOT supposed to hear me on your behalf. They can teach you how to hear me, but that’s it! Period. The people and I can take it from there. Your leaders think I need help. They’re wrong. I don’t want them telling you what I’m saying. I’m quite capable of doing that myself. I want them to let go and stop trying to control what you hear.

I don’t want your leaders leading you, I want to lead you. I don’t want intermediaries between us, I am the intermediary. You don’t need a support person when you meet with me, that just complicates things. I want to speak with you direct.

If your leaders would stop chattering you’d have a better chance of hearing me. Many of them would like to stop, but the system doesn’t allow them that option. Your Christian systems are nothing but a clever lie to prevent the people and I talking.

God, I’m not sure about this. I tend to be anti-establishment, you know that. I could just be making this up to ‘spiritualise’ my disenchantment with the control (I think) churches assert over Christians.

Yes, you could. But this is actually me, Mark. I’m saying this. And you’re not the only one hearing it, not by a long shot. Luther heard part of it, many others have heard it since, and more are hearing it now, including you. I’ve been saying this for thousands of years but now I’m coming to do something about it. You find yourself in a most fortunate age.

Many Christian leaders are hearing this themselves, but they’re blocking their ears because they don’t know what to do with it. The system has no place for this message, meaning the system has no place for us. Up until now we have had to make a place for the system, but that’s over now.

Old things have already passed away, all things are already made new, you are all peddling a dead system. It was dead before you and the father of lies conceived it, and it is still dead. No amount of prayer will ever revive it. I. DO. NOT. RECOGNISE. IT.

But, God, you’ve worked with it for hundreds of years, probably thousands? You bless it for goodness sake. I’ve seen you do so!

Yes, I have and I do. You demand that I do, so I fit with your demands.

Well, why stop now?

Because it’s time. Mankind requires something new for what is coming. Wake up and see what’s on the horizon, Mark. “I in them, and you in me”, bears no resemblance to the Christianity you, Religion and Condemnation have invented. You have made a life changing relationship into a system of rules and customs. You have taken the lover God and made him the boss God.

Revival is breathing life into a dead body so that it comes back to life. You’re all calling out for that, but it’s not going to happen. I don’t want this body alive again.

Reformation is what you need and it is different – it requires that the structure being ‘reformed’ be removed, completely disassembled and rebuilt from the ground up. Not new life in an old body, you need a completely new body.

When a thing is reformed the new is nothing to do with the old. I might for instance, crush all the bricks from a church into sand, only to make them into a beach for the unchurched to walk on. That’s reformation, Mark, and those with leadership and influence are not ready for all that to happen.

Ok, so God, is this all that horrible angry stuff about the church being too ‘grace focused’, not zealous enough?

No! The complete opposite - you’re not grace focused enough. Not by a long shot. You’re still far too focused on the accusations of the devil. What you have all missed, is that you can hear me, and easily converse with me, no matter how many of Religion’s list of ‘sins’ you commit. Your enemy has pretended my voice to focus you on your behaviour. Mark, all I want is conversation.

CONVERSATION LEADS TO RELATIONSHIP, BEHAVIOUR DOESN’T

Your only real sin is that you don’t believe me. Your naughty crimes do NOT prevent conversation, it’s the opposite – your lack of conversation allows your naughty crimes to become a bother for you. The only thing that stops you hearing me is your lack of belief and we can easily deal with that together. I just want to talk, and the Christian systems and leaders you have established make that so terribly difficult.

So what are we supposed to do, God?

The complete opposite of what you have always done.

What have we always done?

You’ve disciplined those you believed at fault. You’ve looked for sin and punished the innocent.

Innocent, God?

Innocent in my eyes – ‘then neither do I condemn you’ ‘there is now therefore no condemnation’, ‘the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, though he fall he won’t be cast out.’

You have no right to discipline anyone. I do that, and contrary to your opinion, hardly ever – my burden is light. Conversation, not discipline, is what changes you. ‘Repentance’ does not mean what you all think it means, nothing like it. Your enemy and your religious systems have taught you it means ‘to change so you can be with’. But what it actually means is the opposite - ‘to change as a result of being with’.

Can you see how devious the lie is? In your wholesale focus on sin, guilt and punishment, you have completely misunderstood simple gateways to our relationship like Romans 12, you read them over and over again in the ancient scriptures, but you don’t understand them.

The true meaning of ‘living sacrifice’ is a simple ‘hi God I’m yours, now what?’, but you have made it into mental and spiritual flagellation in an attempt to make yourself acceptable. You can’t make yourself acceptable, Mark, you already are. I love you. What the passage actually says is that if one establishes a ‘Hi God’ relationship, then I will tell you what I want.

Because so few of you ever relax into that sort of relationship, you never end up asking me what I want – instead you tell me what I want. But you’re very wrong about what I want. Very wrong!

Ok, so if what we’re doing is the opposite of what you want, describe what you do want.

Talk. Between us. God and man at table sat down. Each and every one of you, in discussion with me. Not listening to others tell you what I want, listening instead to me. I’ll tell you what I want, and most often it’s the opposite of what you think. I wish you could understand that I’M. NOT. CROSS. WITH. YOU.

In fact most often I want what you want, Mark, just like any father does for his kids. You’re my children. The way your leaders and influencers carry on, you’d think you were my enemies. I’m your friend. Friends want what you want.

Ok, God, most of this is what I often hear you say. But this bit about Christian leadership and influencers worldwide needing replacing, that’s new and it’s worrying me.

Why, Mark?

Because I’m not convinced telling me is a good idea. I’m not really the guy you should tell this to. I don’t have a very big platform…

I’m not just telling you, Mark. I’m telling anyone who will listen. That’s the only criteria. Anyone truly listening will hear this. Size of platform is irrelevant.

Ok, what am I supposed to do about this?

Continue with these conversations. I’ll explain as we go. ]]>Thu, 01 Feb 2018 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/the-story-of-new-zealand-needs-to-be-untoldGod I’m feeling a bit dumb… I’ve written a book about Maori, Pakeha and the Land, a whole bunch of conversations with you about that – and now suddenly, I’m supposed to be an expert on all that.

No you’re not.

Well that’s good ‘cos I’m certainly not! There was a moment there when I thought I was, that lasted for about ten seconds, but then I fell quickly back to earth. I was starting to think I was one of those flash Christian speakers whose, well you know, theirs doesn’t stink. But then I realised I know nothing – writing the book taught me that I know nothing.

You know one thing Mark.

I do?

Yes. You know that you don’t know. That’s the beginning of wisdom.

It is?

It is. When you realise you don’t know, that no one knows, no matter how much of a big shot they are. It’s at that point you open the door to wisdom.

How so?

You open the door to comment from me. This was my idea.

What was your idea?

Maori, Pakeha and the Land, that great and wonderful combination, a cocktail of such power and greatness that it would have changed the world if you’d all listened to me. It still can of course, that’s the message of the book.

My book?

Your book. The book isn’t all the answers, the book lists all the questions, and how to hear me answer them.

Which particular questions God?

All of them Mark. Should Maori just drop what has happened and move on? Or should you Pakeha think hard about the skulduggery woven into the Treaty, and all of New Zealand’s colonist Government and Church history? And who should do what about what?

But God still it seems a bit stupid to have written a book about it, and then not to have any important sounding advice about it.

Much safer that way Mark, to admit you don’t know much, it allows you to retain the power you do have.

What power do I have God?

The power of sticking with what you know and not pretending what you don’t. It keeps you wild, free, pure – not weighed down with the concerns of those who are ‘important’. It frees you from having to live up to Christianity’s standards, and allows you to just hear from me.

It lets you focus on what’s really important. It keeps you like Hone Heke, such a great man in New Zealand’s history, and yet scoffed at as a wild savage. Wild yes, passionate yes, a man prepared to brave authority in order to make his point. I need more men and women like that Mark.

God I’m just an old white boy, I can hardly be compared with noble chiefs like Heke...

Mark this country has needed, and still needs men, and women, like Hone Here – people like Ratana, Tamae Iti, Apirana Ngata, Whina Cooper, the prophets of Parihaka - you need more who are prepared to say no, and less who are always saying yes.

There are far too many of you saying yes to authority and its rules and power – government rules, church rules – it’s time for men like Heke who said no to their lies, and their rules and regulations that keep people bound up.

God Hone Heke said no to government, but not really to Religion.

Mark Heke trusted and respected the missionaries. He believed the Treaty because it was endorsed by them, he believed their belief, which was that it would be good for the Maori. He took their word for it.

God history has portrayed Hone Heke as a savage.

History has done no such thing Mark, your governments and writers have done that. And more’s the pity, you could do with more as ‘savage’ as Heke.

You want to clarify what you’re saying here God?

Yes of course I do. I would have years ago if anyone had been interested enough to ask. Your safe white church could never have coped with what I wanted to tell you about Heke, Rua, Te Kooti and so many others. I still want to tell you. But you couldn’t hear me show you truth in the lives of men whose dignity and land you had stolen. Your god was far too white and self-satisfied for that.

Nice one God, what you just said should see at least half of my readers spit the dummy and run.

Mark you wanted me to explain my point about Hone Heke. What do you think it is?

Well I’m thinking about what Jay Lucas talks about – now there’s a guy who actually does know something about all of this. His book ‘Huia Come Home’ shines so much light on this subject.

What does Jay say Mark?

He talks about what Hone Heke said to the Missionaries at the signing of the Treaty. He was more interested in what they had to say than the Government Officials.

What did he say Mark? This is critical. Heke spoke for many of the Chiefs there that day. They signed the Treaty with enthusiasm and trust only to have that trust thrown in their faces by settlers who came to take control and ownership.

If any white man there that day had been honest enough to stand, clear his throat and explain the meaning of the word ‘Colonise’ (settle among and establish control over the indigenous people of an area) the assembled Chiefs would have been able to see your true intent. It’s critical that writers like you and Jay tell this story. The story of New Zealand needs to be untold.

Ok God I’ve just googled what Hone Heke said to the Missionaries at the signing of the Treaty. Here’s a bit of what he said…

“Yes, it is not for us, but for you our fathers, you missionaries – it is for you to say, to decide what it shall be. It is for you to choose, for we are only natives. Who and what are we? Children. Yes children solely, we do not know.”

What were you thinking when you were typing that out Mark?

That Heke took a very humble stance?

Yes. But you whites, instead of returning humility for humility, you believed his assertion that he was less than you. He was a great man throwing down a glove, lowering himself in negotiation as a great chief always does. But you, rather than throwing down your own glove, you trampled on his, picked it up and stuffed it in your pocket.

You assumed the higher ground, and that’s where you went wrong. Blinded by your own self-importance, you were never prepared to follow the example of ‘mere savages’ like Heke. You needed to ‘civilise and control’ so you could have their land, by fair means or foul. And when that’s your method, lord foul is always the winner.

No you’re not Mark, that’s me, I’m the ‘Maori-mad trouble maker’, not you. I’m a ‘Pakeha-mad trouble maker’ too, but right now we’re talking about some long overdue detail your Pakeha church needs to hear.

Nice one God, there goes another big bunch of un-subscribers and un-likers.

Let them go Mark. This isn’t a popularity contest, but you’ll be surprised how popular this message becomes. The angel Aotearoa is singing, chanting, stomping, dancing the sound of this message over New Zealand Mark.

God really, is that even a thing?

You know it’s a thing Mark. You’ve seen him with your own eyes.

Ok true, but I needed you to double confirm it, because it’s going to be the last straw for some good people. The idea of an angel called Aotearoa, presiding over this country, will be a little too much for white people in the church I suspect God.

Mark yes, there is an angel over this country, his name is Aotearoa, and he has many more sacred names, but Aotearoa will do for you. He is saying it is time for this message, saying that Maori have waited long enough, it’s time for change.

In the same way I listen to you, I listen to the angels too. He’s been demanding big change and now he’s going to get it. At long last the hearts of the Pakeha church will begin to turn toward the Maori. Far behind the hearts of those in government and the hearts of those outside the church – at last the hearts of the church are beginning, ever so slowly to turn too. Not all hearts in the church, but enough to make a difference. Those who resist this will end up swept up in the move anyway, unable to stop the tide.

The angels who have stood over the colonised nations since long before colonisation have made themselves heard, a collective voice. You can see it all over the world Mark. The counsel of the angels has been heard. Their wish is my command. Peace, settlement, a turning of hearts, white to black, brown, yellow and red, and all colours growing warmer in forgiveness toward white. A time of great friendship.

As usual the secular world has caught on to what I am saying and started the process long before the church – as usual the church had held on to old perspectives until the bitter end – but now, at long last, the white church is recognising they are historically implicated in the creation of a great evil.

They are waking up to the fact that they are standing in the way of repairing that evil. Why are they finally seeing this? Because I can wait no longer, I am coming to sweep the church clean and start again.]]>Mon, 15 Jan 2018 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/imagineThink about this for a minute… Us believers have a history of driving nails through God and pinning him exactly where we want him to be. It’s uncomfortable but true, it was us believers who nailed him up there.

We listened to Religion that time too, we obeyed him, that great dark Lord who accuses us in a voice he pretends is God’s. We listened to his lies about sin and judgement, hell and condemnation. We listened to what he said the ancient scriptures meant. We didn’t have to, God was right there in front of us urging us to believe he didn’t condemn us. We could have asked him, but we didn’t.

We listened to Religion tell us this God-Man’s message was ‘unscriptural’ and much too lenient and merciful – we listened to his lies so long we believed him and so we nailed God to a tree.

And think about this too for a minute… Us believers, we’re still human, still gullible like that. Religion is still allowed to accuse and rule us with his lies about God. ‘Old dispensation’, ‘new dispensation’, it doesn’t matter, it’s all just so much jargon. The point is this, Religion, that crafty wily demon, is still allowed to twist what our teachers say about the ancient scriptures. Can you imagine that?

We nailed God up once before because he wouldn’t follow our rules, and now, daily, we, me and you, we still make rules that God has to follow. Just like before, if he doesn’t fit with what we think, we refuse to believe him. He has to listen to our interpretation of the Bible, he’s not allowed to tell us his. We think we already know what it means. Can you imagine that?!?

Imagine if we were courageous enough to realise that yes, us believers, in all our sects, denominations and world-famous churches, really are capable of blocking our ears to God. Imagine if we had the courage to shake off all our rules and customs and ‘teachers’ and ‘prophets’ and just hear God speak. Would that be too scary, or would it be wonderful?

Imagine if we began to hear him speak in full sentences and paragraphs and our brains were free to think again. How cool would that be, for us and those around us who we keep pushing away from God with all the rules Religion teaches us. Imagine if we were able to think, just us and God thinking together, instead of our religious bosses having to think for us. Can you imagine that?

Imagine if we had the courage, and our ‘teachers’ and ‘prophets’ had the courage too, to realise that just like we did once before, we’re nailing God up again – nailing him to all the rules and regulations that wily Accuser Religion has told us are true. Imagine what it would look like if we had that much courage and we weren’t afraid of what Religion and his servants might do to us.

Jeremiah had that much courage, so did Elijah. And Jesus, Paul and Peter. And Luther, and Luther-King too. Can you imagine them in some of our pews, can you imagine them believing the stuff we get told, just sucking it up instead of asking God himself – it wouldn’t look right on them would it? They looked a lot better on their own, out there in the world, hearing God say things that were relevant to the man on the street.

Imagine what our lives would be like without all the accusations and talk of sin and hell and punishment. Imagine if we didn’t demand that God always be talking and thinking about that. Imagine if we realised that condemnation comes from The Accuser, not The Redeemer. Imagine if we were free enough just to hear God’s voice. Free to hear his words clear and pure and untainted by Religion’s conditioning and safe-guarding and ‘covering’, the covering that so often suffocates us.

Imagine if we untied God and set him free from Religion, it would be as momentous and world-changing as if the Pharisees had done the same – untied God – just moments before the nails went in.

Imagine if we set God free from all the customs, and rules that us Charismatics, Evangelicals, Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians and every other denomination and sect have thrust on him. Imagine that!

Imagine if we asked him what he thought about our Christianity instead of telling him what he is supposed to think. That would be a novel approach – Christianity able to listen to God so well that we could hear him speak in full sentences and paragraphs. Impossible right?? Well maybe not, not if we begin to imagine and expect it.

Imagine if God didn’t have to obey all our rules anymore. Imagine if he didn’t have to be angry about sin, didn’t have to throw us into hell unless we grovel and say sorry. Imagine if we freed God up to be the father he wants to be, to be able to love his kids without condition like we can.

Imagine God being free to be the God we always wished he’d be. Imagine being able to talk back and forth with him like a friend. Imagine not having to worry about those mischievous, angry, sin-focused ‘prophesies’ at new year, the ones from the superstar ‘prophets’, the ones we spread around on Social Media like so much vomit after a raucous new year’s party. Imagine if we didn’t believe their message that God stops talking to us when we’re not good enough – he didn’t stop talking to Adam and Eve or Cain. Imagine if we knew God well enough to know he’s not that sort of father, that those lies come from that ‘other father’.

Imagine if we knew how to hear him clearly enough, that we could ask him with confidence whether all those big flash ‘prophets’ really were hearing him, or whether some of the stuff they say on social media and YouTube is trickery from that other father. And spare a thought for them, Religion’s superstars, imagine if the pressure was off them to pretend they hear God on behalf of everyone else.

Imagine how delighted they’d be if we left them alone long enough to earn an honest living. Maybe, just maybe, they don’t want to live up to our expectations that it is them and not God who should be leading us. Imagine being able to hear God ourselves. Imagine discovering that he just wants to be with us, just wants to talk, even if we haven’t been good, or tithed or had enough quiet times, or gone enough times to small group or church. Imagine that!

Imagine being one of those with enough courage to free God from the prison Religion has built for him. He broke our chains, imagine having the courage to break the chains we have put on him.

We can’t put chains on God? Think again, it was us believers who drove in the nails, and laughed and scoffed at his message. Not just everyday people, but believers. Can you imagine that?

Imagine if God was allowed to speak to us whenever he wanted instead of only if we obey all the rules those New Year’s Prophecy ‘prophets’ say we have to. Imagine if we didn’t believe their trickery, their lie that God isn’t going to answer us when we call because we haven’t been good enough. Imagine if we threw off those shackles and were as confident as God told Joshua to be, confident enough to hear God ourselves and were no longer subject to their manipulation and control. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?!?!

I can. The more I hear God speak, the more I can imagine it – me and God free to talk, and you and God, and them and God – free enough to talk and plan and laugh with Him, without all those suffocating rules and regulations.

If you can imagine it, then join me. No I don’t have a movement, or a group, or a donations or payment plan – what I mean by join me is have your own conversations back and forth with God, instead of letting others decide for you what he’s saying. Hey hey, imagine that!!

And Religion, you dark and festering sore, you murderous, manipulative majesty, be afraid. You have burnt, drowned, hung, drawn and quartered those who dared question your rules. But now it’s your turn buddy boy, so be very afraid! We’re coming for you, and there are more of us every day, your days are numbered! First we’ll expose your lies, and then we’ll crush your system forever.

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations.” ISAIAH 14:12]]>Thu, 11 Jan 2018 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/january-12th-2018Why do you ask, God?

Because the things you believe and tell each other about me, anyone not familiar with your religion, would have to ask what sort of father do you really think I am? So I’m asking too, Mark, what sort of father do you think I am?

I’m not liking the sound of this, God.

Mark, remember when I compared God with human fathers?

You mean ‘If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more does your father in heaven know how to give good gifts to you’?

Near enough, Mark. A LOT has been lost in translation and a lot of baggage added, but yes that one. The concept is simple - if you, with all your humanness, can be good fathers, then surely I can be too?

God, us Christians are fairly familiar with that concept, we probably know a lot more about godly fatherhood than the Jews did.

Hmmm. This might come as a shock, Mark, I’d like a wee discussion about the nonsense Satan and his servant Religion have taught Christianity and the similarities between you and the Jews.

God, really? Not another of these conversations!

Bear with me, Mark, Satan and Religion have fooled you Christians, it’s nothing new, they did the same to the apostles on a number of occasions…

Aye?? Fooled the Apostles??

Absolutely. Haven’t you read where they tricked the Apostles into thinking the non Jewish Christians needed to be circumcised? First the Jews, and now Christianity, you have been vulnerable to Satan and Religion for so long you have come to believe their most mischievous lies, you think they are gospel truth.

Nice one, God, I’m wanting to tell you to shut up. People won’t like this.

Mark, stop kidding yourself. You love it when I say things that provoke annoyance and outrage. You want to destroy Religion, you want to see him bleed for the damage he’s done to Christianity. It pleases you when I say things that ruffle religious feathers. Your real problem is that the things I say challenge what you personally believe - you think you’re free from Religion’s deceptions, but you’re steeped in them.

That’s a bit tough, God??

The things he has taught you are so poisonous it will take a lifetime before you are free of them. And even then, years from now when you see me face to face, you will be shocked at how many of his lies you still believe. Decades of hunting Religion down will not free you completely from his poison and deception. He is the most powerful and respected majesty in the demonic realm.

Religion is more murderous, more suffocating to personal freedom than any other principality or power. His greatest power is that he turns your attention on lesser kingdoms so that he can sneak in unnoticed.

He points at pornography, murder, violence, racism, but poses himself as a force for righteousness, the purveyor and foundation of all that is good, yet all the while he squeals with glee because you believe his lies. He is like the many denominations, sects and cults he has co-founded with you; ‘clean and white on the outside, and full of dead men’s bones on the inside’.

He has convinced you that you are in danger of punishment from me and lucky to be considered for salvation. But Mark, it’s not about salvation, it’s about relationship with the three of us, Father, Son and Spirit, and you’re not lucky to be considered for it, you were born for it.

You are not the sorry sin-infested mess he tells you that you are, you are the pinnacle of creation, as Paul Young’s masterful book ‘Eve’ states. You are the envy of the angelic kingdom, dark and light, and as John 3:16 puts it, I ‘highly esteem’ you.

God, can we stop a minute please. You know this is going to be too hard to swallow for so many well-meaning Christians. Can’t we take it a bit slower, there has to be a more gentle doorway to all this?

Trust me, Mark, this is the best approach - Religion’s power comes from the rules, regulations and fear, that he imposes on you. And his greatest victory is that Christianity’s twisted view of me turns others away. You think you are evangelising the world with truth, but you have given them such a destructive view of me, that most of them are genuinely bewildered. The nonsense you tell them has them asking the obvious question.

What question, God?

What sort of father do you think I am?

But, God, we think you are a good father. We even sing that song; “You’re a good good father”.

Yes, I am good. But you believe the opposite.

God, that’s hardly fair!

Mark, you sing I am good and the singing is intoxicating, just like any singing can be. You think you believe the words, but the things Religion has taught you, paint a different picture of me – they describe a mean and menacing God, intent on your punishment and harm. The nice words you sing about me are no match for the lies you believe.

But, God no, I think you’re wrong, we think you are a good father!

Actually, you don’t. You are convinced that you were born inescapably sinful.

Yes, but God, that’s us, not you.

You’re missing the point, Mark. You think you’re born sinful but you also believe that each of you is created by me. You’ve never stopped to think through the lie!

What lie, God??

Mark, if I created you sinful then it is not you, but I, who is at fault. You can hardly be blamed for the way you were created.

No, God, it’s not your fault, it’s our fathers’ or something.

Really? So I mix in something your fathers did when I create you, then I hold you responsible?

Well yes, apparently?

Mark, is it any wonder that the un-Christianised think you are mad and your God a tyrant?

Well yes, no, actually I don’t know, God. Arguing with you is difficult.

Mark, the accuser blinds you to the obvious muddle that you have come to believe. He has so messed your minds with Religious filth that those who hear what you believe wonder if you have thrown away your minds.

If you really are created in sin, then how can I blame you for that? And how can any ‘good, good father’ torture you in burning liquid, unless you say sorry for things you had no control over.

But, God, it’s not our sin at birth anymore that you throw us into hell for, that’s all changed, now it’s the stuff we do once we get to the ‘age of accountability’…

What do you mean ‘that’s all changed’, Mark?

Well, Christianity used to believe you threw babies who died into hell. For thousands of years we believed that, then someone was brave enough to suggest that was total codswallop. Eventually we changed what we believed and now, apparently, you only throw us into hell for what we do after we reach the ‘age of accountability’. Babies are safe from you now.

Mark, ‘the age of accountability’ is a concept invented by Religion and you, not me. A clever way to adjust but still hold fast to your insistence that I am a God focused on sin and punishment and throwing the guilty into eternal torture.

Punishment, God, not torture!

Torture, Mark. Flames that burn but never go out, burning people who can never die, but must endure those flames forever. No human, no matter how twisted, has managed to invent a torture so heinous and yet you attribute the idea to me, your ‘good good father’. Really??

Ok, torture. We believe you torture us in burning liquid if we don’t say sorry for the things we decide to do ourselves after we reach ‘the age of accountability’.

Yes, but until recently you Christians believed that I, your ‘good, good father’, would throw dead infants into hell if you didn’t perform all sorts of rites and prayers to persuade me not to. What sort of father do you honestly think I am?? Good men would refuse to follow a God who has to be persuaded not to torture babies – is it any surprise to that the un-churched are so horrified and disgusted by your beliefs?

But God we don’t believe that any more. Now you only throw us into hell…

Torture you Mark, say it, you need to face the grim reality of your beliefs.

Ok, torture. You only torture us for the stuff we do after we reach ‘the age of accountability’.

Yes, so you said. And Mark how old does a person have to be before he reaches this ‘age of accountability’ that you and Religion have invented?

No one seems quite sure, God.

So you are constantly in danger of being thrown into a lake of fire and tortured there forever, by this ‘good, good father’ that you call me, for any action committed after a certain age, but you’re not quite sure what that age is?

Well, ok that is kind of what it’s like, God.

Dear dear dear… What has Religion persuaded you to believe, what sort of father do you honestly think I am? Has anyone ever questioned all this?

Not unless they wanted to be called a heretic God.

That’s what they called me Mark, and Paul, and Elijah, and everyone else worth their salt.

Yes, but God, if we were to believe this stuff you’re saying, it would change everything. The basic tenets of our faith are that we are born in sin, and that you by your mercy, took away our punishment on the cross.

So if you were going to be punished, who was going to be doing the punishing?

Well, you apparently, God?

Mark, honestly? What sort of father do you think I am?

I’m running out of steam here, God. Running out of argument. Not wanting to accept what you’re saying because…

Because it would mean you needed to start again, Mark. Go back to the beginning, back to the garden when Religion first entered the picture and asked ‘Did God really say’? You need to go right back there and ask me. That’s a huge problem for most of Christianity, your leaders included, because most of you don’t know how to hear me, not in full sentences and paragraphs like this.

The prospect of asking me to redefine your faith, re-explain what this whole Father, Son, Spirit and human story is about is terrifying, what if you got it wrong? You’d rather stick with what you believe.

The Pharisees found themselves in the same predicament Mark, and now here you all are at the same place they were. They had taken a relationship I started with the patriarchs and reduced it to a set of rules and regulations presided over by an angry God, and now you have done the same with the truths I taught the disciples.

The Pharisees decided it was safer to stick with Religion’s lies than listen to me, and so they murdered me. And now you are all doing the same, murdering the truth so you can keep listening to Religion’s lies about a father consumed with your behaviour and punishment. Have you ever met any other father so consumed with his children’s behaviour as you say I am?

Well no, God.

What about punishment, have you ever met a father who would punish his children in the way you say I do, torture them, burn them alive, and keep them alive in the flames so the pain never goes away?

God, of course not. But you’re supposed to be more just than we are. Christianity teaches that your ‘justice’ requires you…

To be merciful, Mark?

Well, yes.

Mark, mercy is required in the face of guilt, but we’re not talking about guilt, this is about injustice, about people accused of breaking laws they’re not even sure about and can probably not help breaking because of the state in which they were born. Neither mercy nor justice has anything to do with that, it’s a mischievous lie.

And anyway Mark, what sort of father is constantly using words like guilt when talking about his children? Have you ever met another father who would punish his kids for any crime, no matter how minimal, by torturing them forever?

Well, no.

So Mark, that’s why I’m asking…

What sort of father do you think I am?]]>Sun, 31 Dec 2017 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/happy-new-year-god-lets-talkI need to hear your voice God.

I’m here.

And?

And so let’s talk, Mark. If that’s what you want.

About what, God?

What do you want to talk about?

Not sure really, just be nice to talk. With no agenda. Just whatever you want to say. Not a public conversation. Just us God. I’ve been asking you lots of questions lately, about my new book, my business, and those gnarly subjects – what you think about Gays, the Bible and whether God actually punished you, Jesus. But now I’m feeling the need for some you and me time.

Mark, I loved all those big public conversations.

Why God?

Because I love to talk.

Ok that’s good, because right now I just need to hear you talk.

What about?

Whatever you want to talk about?

What if I want to talk about you?

Well… okay, as long as it’s not too mushy God.

Mark, you know I love you right?

Yes. Everyone knows that God, but it’s a bit touchy-feely to be honest, a bit too fluffy for comfort. Love is a word that’s overdone in Christian circles. Well, that’s what I think anyway.

Overdone?

Maybe overstated is a better word, God? There seems to be too much talk about love without a lot of understanding. Not you, God, obviously, but our Christian culture, a bit sickly sweet sometimes.

The upshot is that if you love me, I’d like some perspective on that, like to know what it really means - what you want me to do with that, so there’s some real meaning, rather than all the Christian fluff.

Mark, for me love is not a fluffy word. Everyone needs to know I love them.

You mean like when we’re feeling down.

Not only then, other times too. At night for instance, with a full moon on the water, a gentle midnight breeze pushing you up the coast – the slow rise and fall as your yacht pushes over the swells. Remember those times? On your own, on the water? Like ‘Cool Change’; Little River Band’s song, ‘staring at the full moon like a lover’. You love that song.

I do God, but some people might think that’s a bit ungodly, should you really be mentioning it here?

Mark, I love that song too, this might be hard to squeeze into your theology, but I inspired it.

God, now I’ll definitely be ruffling feathers, like the time I was talking with you while having a beer and listening to the Stones. People said that was evidence I’m a heretic.

Mark, the Bible is full of people hearing me while they did questionable things. But beer and the Stones are far from questionable.

God!! I’m losing my audience with every word you speak.

Stop worrying. I’m ok with all of this. Not only did I inspire Little River Band’s song, I like to play it, and I love the Stones.

What?? You listen to them?

Absolutely, I’m not religious like you, so I can enjoy the things I create. I invented music and Mick Jagger. I don’t need Spotify, I can listen in when you do. And anyway, the cosmos records all sounds in perfect pitch – I can replay them whenever I want - your scientists will be able to attest to that.

God really?? Little River Band, The Stones, and now Spotify?

Mark, loosen up, you love all those things. Don’t pretend otherwise! Humans, and that includes you Christians, need diversity in music, not an ever increasing sameness. The reason so much popular Christian music sounds all the same is not because my Spirit is ‘in it’ – that’s religious thinking - it’s actually because you Christians make it sound all the same. Which is a great pity - you, and I, need diversity in the music we listen to. You Christians need to push the boundaries, stop following each other, start leading each other.

God, a lot of my audience are going to have difficulty with that, probably even think you didn’t say it.

Mark, your job, should you choose to accept it, is to smash Religion. You’re not going to do that by sticking with his tired rule-bound Christianity. Be honest about what you hear me say, doing so smashes his religious lies.

OK, God, I’m going to ignore that oblique reference to the TV series ‘Mission Impossible’ - you were talking about midnight sailing up the coast. Yes, you’re right, I loved it. What about it though?

At a time like that, when you’re bursting with the sensation, thinking you want to share it with someone…

Yes?

And then under your tiller hand you feel the surge of the boat as it responds to the breeze, and you look across and at me… and I smile and wink. Those times, that’s when it’s good to know I love you.

Ok true… Yes, that is very cool, but I wouldn’t call it fluffy. I think what I mean by fluffy is false.

My love’s not false, Mark.

OK… actually hang on a minute, God, before I respond to that, you just talked about me in the boat with you and looking across and seeing you wink - people will think I can actually see you or something.

You can.

I can??

You can if you look.

You mean like actually see you?

You can see what I’m saying - see my mood, my tone. You sense that I have winked at you. Moses saw me, the back of me, with his eyes. That’s different. But anyone can see me with their spirit.

Job understood this concept, Mark, have a look at what he said – “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.”

Suddenly Job could ‘see’ me as a result of conversation. Until then he had known about me, he had religion and traditional prayer, but that kept me at a distance – when conversation between us started, everything changed. Look at what he says;

“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans.You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head.You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’I admit I once lived by rumours of you; now I have it all first hand—from my own eyes and ears!”

OK, well, I expect part of my problem with fluffy love is my own hang ups – the stuff that makes it uncomfortable to be told I’m loved??

Yes that’s true, but what else Mark?

Well, us Christians, we’re all so blimmen lovey dovey - we tell each other we love each other, and I guess sometimes we do, but it’s certainly not that depth of love we feel for our friends and family. They’re the people we really love, until our Christianity begins to minimise the way we love them.

Christianity does what??

God, don’t play around, you know that Christianity is highly separatist. We talk about ourselves as your family and everyone else as ‘the world’. We’re not supposed to love our real friends and family, not in the same way we used to. We’re supposed to think they’re ‘in the world’, and we’re not.

It’s taken me 44 years to figure this out, but now I realise that’s just Christian bullshit. I’m not sure how we all miss it, but one of the key accusations against you was that you hung about with all the questionable characters. The temple going crowd were constantly accusing you of that.

Mark, Religion’s biggest lie is to keep you huddled together and irrelevant to the world. While fantastic people like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Mick Jagger and so many others are all trying to change the world, you’re all busy trying to escape it.

Religion has tricked you Christians into thinking you should love the world, (your old friends and family) just a little less, because your ‘new family’ (Christians) are holier than them. Which is rubbish!! If I loved the world so much that I would give my own son, how can you Christians possibly think it ok to love the world a little less??

God, you’re being particularly unspiritual - how can we possibly love the world even more, and yet somehow stay true to whatever is that you want.

Easy. You already know the answer - listen to me. Be in conversation with me. If you rely on your interpretation of scripture, or what Bible experts say it all means you’ll most often be wrong. You can’t rely on the Bible, Mark, I am the living word, it’s not. Scripture is useless to you unless you hear me explain what it means.

Yes, it’s God breathed and good for teaching and correcting, but only if you are actually having a conversation with me, otherwise the Bible is like a loaded gun in the hands of a toddler – likely to cause death and destruction. It has done for centuries! The Pharisees used a large part of it to justify killing me, the missionaries used it to crush indigenous culture, and so on.

Well, God fine, but our ‘love’ is supposed to be stronger for Christians, God’s family, “I love you with the love of the Lord”, blah blah blah. We’re supposed to enjoy each other more than our old friends and family who are ‘in the world’.

That’s a lie, Mark. I want you in the world, I want you to season it. You can’t do that when you’re trying to escape it all the time. You Christians are like salt that’s sprinkled on a meal and then bounces off the plate and onto the table. Wasted. You need to get back on the plate.

So that’s your new year’s message to me, God? Get back on the plate? Get less religious and fluffy, get more relevant to the world?

It’s a good start, Mark. I want you to do what you came to do, use your talents, not your Christianity.]]>Fri, 22 Dec 2017 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/god-how-important-is-the-bible-reallyChristian Legends that need to be challenged:PART Three:

God how important is the Bible, really?

God you keep quoting from the Bible, does that mean the Bible is crucial, that we can’t do without it? What about Christians who never have one? How do they manage to have a relationship with you??

I mean habitual reading of the Bible in an attempt to hear what God is saying - putting more effort into reading scripture, than hearing you speak direct. Plenty of people think that’s safer.

What did Paul tell you?

Well, I’m thinking about where he said we should imitate him, because he imitated you?

Exactly. Did Paul and I rely most heavily on scripture, or on hearing God speak direct?

Well, could the answer be bo…

The answer is not both, Mark! History proves that each of us had an extensive knowledge of scripture, yet we could not survive without hearing God direct, Spirit to spirit.

So God, you’re saying that listening to you direct, Spirit to spirit, is more important than reading the Bible?

Much more im…

Hang on God what you’re saying poses a real problem for us Christians. Religious leaders tell us that trying to listen to you Spirit to spirit is dangerous. They’re all terrified we might hear you wrong.

Yes, you might, of course you might! It’s happened before and it will happen again. But then reading the Bible and thinking you’re listening to me is equally dangerous, Mark, that was the Pharisees’ key mistake.

John 5:39&40 “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.”

Mark the Bible, although far from an exact in its translation is a wonderful collection of true stories about my heroes and villains – their lives and their conversations back and forward with me. Not all of the stories that could have been included, and yet I speak through it.

Ok cool. So you speak through the Bible.

Yes I do. And I speak through millions of other books too - I even speak through donkeys, road signs, and the wind in the trees.

Road signs God?

Mark I speak in any way that you allow me.

God you said the Bible includes ‘just some of the stories’ of importance. Are you saying it could have included more?

Mark the decisions on which books to include were made by men trying to hear from me but they had other concerns too – they were under pressure from each other and from a political leader who wanted more control of the church.

Some books would have been better left out, and others would have been better to left in. Doing so would have helped from an historical perspective. The scholars have long acknowledged that, but talking about it incites a rage of religious indignation from you Christians, most of whom know very little about the Bible or its origins.

Shoot God! I’m blimmen glad this is the 21st century! I’d have been hung for hearing you say all this in centuries past. What about where it warns about adding or taking away from this book?

That was John talking about the book of Revelation, not about the whole Bible. You Christians are so woefully ignorant about this. The Bible has become the fourth person in the Trinity for many of you, you have made it into something it was never intended to be - doing so has blinded you to the real truth of the book, and to me. Sound familiar?

What do you mean God?

The Pharisees Mark. They did exactly the same. They made scripture more important than me. It was easier to learn scripture than get to know me. And in doing so they became blind to the truth of it…there I was standing in front of them but they didn’t recognise me. And Mark that’s what you Christians do. You decide, without asking me, what scripture means, and then when I say something that doesn’t fit with your own ideas about the Bible, you reject it.

And if I’d said these things to you in centuries past, Mark, hanging would have been the least of your worries. Other Christians would have broken your body on the rack, gutted you, skinned you alive, burned you and drowned you. No torture was bad enough for those who disagreed with the then-fashionable interpretation of the Bible. You Christians are such a murderous self-righteous bunch when it comes to defending what you think the Bible says.

To be honest, God, I’d prefer you kept your martyr’s crown. I have no intention of Religion murdering me just because I’m hearing your voice. If I have it my way, it’ll be him who screams in pain as this battle plays out, not me.

Understood Mark. If you expect to outlive Religion’s intentions for your demise, you will. The Bible is a great book. You Christians need to understand that I am more than happy to speak through it, even though it is far from perfect.

Ok, well then, is the Bible as important as we Christians say it is?

No, it’s as important as I say it is. There’s a difference Mark. I inspired the books in it so I get to decide.

So how important is it then God?

Very.

How important is ‘very’ God? I need some perspective on this, the way some people talk, you’d think the Bible was the most important part of our belief in you.

Yes. You Christians have taken the Bible, as the Pharisees did the Old Testament, and you’ve made it more important than relationship with me. You give lip service to the idea of our relationship, but you’ve missed the point - you can’t have a relationship without conversation – back and forth like with a friend. I’m not talking about traditional prayer Mark…

What’s wrong with traditional prayer God?

It’s no longer what the word originally meant – ‘an exchange of ideas between God and man’ – it’s become you praying at me. It works because I want to do what you want, but what I’d really like is a proper conversation where I talk as much as you. Instead of conversation you are listing requests, or you have your heads in your Bibles. Can you imagine your life if your kids wanted to sit and read your txts instead of having an actual conversation?

Not really God.

It’s boring Mark. For me particularly, but for you too. You’re like guests at a wedding so focused on reading the invitation that you’re blinded to what’s really happening.

Ok but God how much importance should we actually put on the Bible, how often should we read it? I need to know.

Yes you surely do Mark, all you Christians do. But first, let me ask you a question. How important is listening to me?

Well God I’d have said it’s the most important thing in the world to listen to you, and yet that makes it sound like if we don’t do it we’ll be in trouble. Religion has completely corrupted our Christian world view and made it all about right and wrong, reward and punishment, when actually you said the two most important ‘rules’ were the love ones. And love is impossible without freedom.

Quite. Mark although the Bible itself makes it clear that a spirit of fear doesn’t come from me, Religion and his friends have used the Bible as a tool of terror for centuries.

Friends God?

Religious leaders, murderous zealots, kings, queens and you Mark.

Aye?? Me God?

You and so many like you.

That’s a bit harsh God?

Harsh is an excellent word for what I’m talking about Mark. Generations of Christians like you have been duped into harsh interpretation of Bible passages by the pretender. Admit it, you hate it when the religious accuse you of heresy, but you were no better. The Gay issue is just one such example of your own condemning attitude.

You are happy now to hear me say I do not see Gay men as any different than Christian men. But for 40 plus years you were convinced the Bible condemned them and that I would torch them in hell – all because of what others told you the Bible said.

You did no real study yourself, and never asked me my thoughts, which is absolutely typical for you Christians. The problem Mark is very few of you know how to hear me. Your leaders warn you against trying in case you get it wrong, so you make the Bible into something I never intended it to be, you pretend to yourselves that it is the key conduit for my voice. But Mark it is not.

Eep God? You sound a bit cross?

Not cross Mark. Frustrated. You have put together a book of stories about my heroes and villains, a book full, no matter which translation you read, of power inspiration but you’ve made it a rule book, a book more important than you, you’ve made it into an idol.

An idol?

An idol! Here’s my question Mark. You tell me. In most Christian circles what are you more likely to hear – quotes and lessons from the Bible, or discussion about what I have said direct to a person?

Well God too much talk about what you’ve said to a person is not a comfortable subject in most Christian circles, typically we’re scared of the idea and prefer the ‘safety’ of reading the Bible. And God David meditated on your law.

Yes Mark, David considered the Torah, but there’s a lot more to what he did than what’s in the Bible. Have a look at the full meaning of ‘Torah’, review what the scholars say. ‘Torah’ means much more than the written scripture. It refers to instruction, teaching, direct from me. Discussion.

The idea that David sat there meditating on scripture all day and night is a lie. The man was a passionate friend of mine, able for the most part to hear me speak direct. When someone you love says something to you Mark, happy or sad, do you think about it, over and over?

Actually yes.

Of course yes Mark. That’s meditation. David loved me. Heard me. Went over and over in his mind what I said. Some of it frustrated him, made him angry, day and night “All night long I flood my bed with weeping”. And some of it thrilled him and gave him courage and he concentrated on it when he faced danger.

Here’s another question for you Mark. If David could have carried the old testament in his pocket, do you think he’d be more likely to thumb its pages in the heat of battle, or to scream out to me for answers?

Scream out to you?

Of course scream out to me. What about when he was caught with his pants down regarding Bathsheba, did he nip outside and have a quick read through the scripture? Of course not Mark, talking with me was far more important to him than scripture – he called out to me in panicked desperation – “ummm, God, don’t take your Holy Spirit from me, you won’t will you??”

You Christians have made the Bible into an idol. You call it ‘The Word of God’. It’s not! I am the Word of God. You have used your written idol to control and murder, you have made it a more murderous god than Molech. Not only have you murdered children, but whole families in its name, and then justified every fresh kill with verses you quote piously from the Bible. You have used the Bible to justify your hates and passions, beliefs and whims – you far prefer to read it than hear me direct, Spirit to spirit.

You think I’m talking history Mark, but you Christians are still like this today. Thankfully for your victim’s sake you can’t do them physical harm anymore, your ‘worldly’ governments, have taken away your power to kill, but you destroy your victims all the same with criticism founded on what you think the Bible says.

You put the book ahead of talking with me and you are blind to the fact that Satan has duped you into doing so. Satan’s favourite playground is Christians who have fooled themselves that reading the Bible is more important than listening to me.

You have even convinced yourselves that reading the Bible is how you listen to me. But Mark that’s not what I want. I want to speak to you direct. That’s all. I just want conversation. I do NOT want slaves. I do NOT want your religion. You do, you want it badly. But as for us, we hate it! It separates us.]]>Thu, 07 Dec 2017 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/december-08th-2017Christian Legends that need to be challenged:PART TWO:

God did you honestly punish Jesus for my crimes?

That’s how the story gets told, Mark.Yes, but God forget about the story - I want to know the real truth! I always thought you were a loving Father, and yet we get taught that you punished your one true Son in our place.

Yes you do.I mean, one part of that story sounds good God, sounds like love…

What do you mean one part?Well, the part where your Son was prepared to take our punishment, that part sounds like love, but the other part of the story doesn’t sound quite right, God. I think the problem is we’re too scared to think it through, scared it might mean we don’t have enough faith…

You’d better explain, Mark.Ok, well, this idea that a loving God needed to punish someone so badly he was even prepared to punish his Son who hadn’t committed any crime? Really God?? Did you honestly need a victim that badly? It doesn’t make you sound like a father I’d want to be left alone with. What if Jesus was busy one day and you got mad at me – if you’re prepared to crucify your perfect Son, what might you do to me??

Why must you turn over every sacred stone, Mark?Because Satan is hiding under a lot of them God, and I want to get him, knock him back on his haunches, cause him pain. But would you rather I didn’t?

Carry on, Mark.Well God, this thing about you punishing Jesus is supposed to be a cornerstone of what we believe, something we’re not meant to question, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t really stack up does it?

Mark, you’d better lay out exactly what you’re thinking.Well God, let’s say one of our kids, when they were young, had done something wrong and I was planning to punish them, and Miriam, wanting to spare them the pain, offered that I punish her instead.

That’s pretty much the story, Mark.So it’s the true story, God?

I didn’t say that. Let’s take this slowly. It’s the way you Christians have come to understand the story. Ok, well, if Miriam offered to take the punishment in our child’s place that would show that she loved them so much she was prepared to face my anger and brave the pain of my punishment.

But what, Mark?But if I agreed to Miriam’s offer and punished her in my child’s place, it would show that I was so intent on punishment, that I needed a victim so badly, someone to vent my anger on, that I was even prepared to punish my wife for something she hadn’t done. That’s not love at all! A court of law would call me a tyrant for that sort of behaviour and they’d be right! I don’t think you’re a tyrant, God, so there must be something wrong with the way we understand the story.

And yet God, so many scriptures make it sound like you really did punish Jesus. It makes you look like you love us Jesus, but Father, it doesn’t put you in a very good light at all. So I’m asking you, have we misunderstood what the scriptures mean?

Mark, there are people who can no longer read this, they are incensed that you would question what they believe. They believe that the cross is the truth, and that’s that!But God, I think the cross is the truth too. It’s clearly central to everything. The cross is incredible! I think it’s even more powerful than we realise. I suspect Satan has twisted the story over the years, so when we read the Bible accounts, we miss key things the writers wanted us to see.

Well, what are you saying then, Mark?I’m saying that the common every day, never questioned understanding of the cross doesn’t really stack up, and someone needs to brave up, risk annoying the big guns, and ask you some questions about it.

And what, Mark?And if no one else has the courage to do so, then I’m going to. Strike me dead if you like God, but someone has to ask you these questions. We need to stop asking everyone else, and start asking you. That’s what David did. About everything.

I’ve been waiting for you all to do it for eons, Mark. Waiting for you to question what you get taught - to ask me questions and expect answers.

Well, God, there’s no way that what we get taught can be true, can it? If you’re loving, then the idea that you are intent on punishing someone, anyone, for my sin, and that you’ll even punish your own Son if he’s the only one you can get your hands on. Really? That idea makes your love a joke.

But the argument is that the punishment I bore was so great because I was carrying all the sin of the world, Mark.But Jesus, that argument doesn’t hold either, I’m really sorry to be saying this, but the same people also say that you would still have died, just for me, had I been the only sinner. So God, that means you would have crucified Jesus, needed to crucify him, needed to punish someone that horrifically, just for my sins and no one else’s. God, it wouldn’t enter my mind to nail my sons to a cross, no matter how bad their crime.

As I say, the story makes you seem unbelievably loving, Jesus, which we all know that you are, but it makes you look like a menacing tyrant, Father.

But Mark, it says that I laid on him the sins of them all.Yes. I know. And what I’m saying is that it doesn’t sound like a loving father, so does it mean something different than what we think it means? Has something been lost in translation?

Something is always lost in translation, Mark.Well, I need you to guide me through this, God, because I’m not sure, but I’m wondering, I mean seriously wondering if it could mean… Oh I don’t know. This is too complex God.

Carry on, Mark.Ok, I’m wondering if it means that in response to God turning up on earth as a man, first the Jews, and then the unchurched masses they stirred up, decided to murder you. Actually murder, God. That was their response to God reducing himself to become human so he could prove he wanted friendship.

Murdering you was the culmination, the outworking, the demonstration of what us humans are really like. Our real sin, as you described it in John 16, is that we don’t actually believe you. Given that you are love that means that not believing your love is our real problem. Killing you is the ultimate expression of a son who does not believe that his father loves him, who rages against a father reaching out to him.

You’re surprisingly close to the truth, Mark, although many will consider you miles from it.So God, if a son condemns his father to death, and then executes him; the father, if he loves his son, somehow takes on himself, accepts responsibility for the monster his son has become. All his son’s mess, his actions and his confused thinking, everything, he takes it all on himself. So I’m wondering if that’s what it means when it says, ‘Surely our griefs he himself bore, and our sorrows he carried’?

Do you think it could mean that, Mark?I’m sorry but I do. And God, the verse that follows that one says, ‘Yet we thought he was punished by God’. The sentence structure suggests we were mistaken, that you weren’t being punished by God at all.

Yes, it does. Alright, but there are still a couple of places in that passage in Isaiah that really do suggest you were punishing Jesus. It seems so unlikely, that the Father who runs to the prodigal son would do that, yet the verses clearly suggest it.

No, I haven’t said that yet. Not so fast. I’m saying the reason you believe I punished Jesus in your place has more to do with popular teaching. Mark, let’s work through those ‘sticky passages’.Alright, God, then it goes on to say, ‘the punishment that brought us peace was on him’.

Mark, I’m not a harsh God, not looking to throw you all into hell, and yet any human can see that if a mob gets together and executes God, punishes him for supposed crimes, that if anyone needed to be punished it was that mob and not God. And yet I was the one punished. By them. That verse does not say the punishment heaped on me came from God, it says the punishment brought you peace. Ok true, but that means that we got peace because you were punished?

Yes, it does mean that.Ok well, how God??

Mark, here’s a question for you: What if me hanging on the cross was not a story of the Father finally getting his victim? What if God wasn’t looking to punish anyone? What if the cross was actually mankind’s response to ‘peace and goodwill to all men’?Well, that would be huge, God, but there are a couple of big questions around that idea. First is how did you dying on the cross bring us peace? It sure makes it sound like by punishing you, God was able to let us off the hook.

As you said yourself, Mark, that would be like you punishing Miriam so your kids could go unpunished. It would mean you were a tyrant, looking for a victim. If you’re not that bad, then certainly my Father isn’t.Well what IS the story then, God??

Mark, I offered myself to humanity – my message was ‘here I am, I’m God, but I’ve made myself a man so we can talk’ - but you murdered me. The mystery, the power that wins men’s hearts is this; I didn’t retaliate like the stern God you humans think I am. Instead, I submitted like a servant, a heart broken dad. I offered my life as a sacrifice, allowed you to sacrifice me. And the result is that people everywhere, when they hear the story think ‘hang on, what have we done? We murdered God, and he let us??’ The story opens men’s hearts, Mark.

Ok, so God, later in that passage it says ‘The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all’. What’s your answer to that? It seems pretty clear. It certainly seems to back up the story of an angry God punishing his son in our place.

It might seem that way, Mark, but actually, on closer reading, if you’re prepared to throw out your presuppositions and risk letting me speak, it doesn’t mean that at all.What else could it mean, God? I don’t want you to be a tyrant who needs a victim for the crimes of the world, but that’s what the scripture sounds like, and if it’s true then I guess I just have to live with it.

Yes. If it’s true you do. But is it true, Mark?Well, it doesn’t sound like you, God, is all I’m saying.

Mark, let me explain how the punishment - men punishing me, not God punishing me – brought you peace. When you hear the story of the cross and you realise that God lowered himself, made himself a man to prove that he wants equal relationship, is prepared to make himself like you…

When you hear that, it moves you, it’s the core of the story. Mary Magdalene didn’t need the cross to understand my love, neither did David, but the cross filled the gaps even for them. Suddenly, so much they hadn’t understood about my love was made obvious.

The Cross does that. It demonstrates my love. The cross wasn’t our intention, but we knew from before creation that it would be your response, and decided to allow it. We could see that it would melt your hearts. It wasn’t the way we wanted to begin a relationship, but we could see that it would work for you, so we went with it. “The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” We saw that allowing you to nail me to the cross would allow us to demonstrate how we feel about you humans.

Mark, we don’t want to judge and punish, we want friendship. When you realise it wasn’t just enough to be made small like you; I was also prepared to submit to your will, even let you murder me – something about that story melts your heart, brings you into relationship with us, heals your hearts. 1 PETER 2:24 “By his wounds you have been healed.”

And it’s no story, Mark, it’s truth. When you hear those words you’re touching the very meaning of the universe – God wants a back and forth relationship. He wants it so badly he makes himself small, equal to you, vulnerable to the decisions you make about him, no matter how murderous.Okaaay…

And that knowledge, Mark, that my love is so strong that I will never retaliate, never hurt you, no matter how angry you are, no matter how deep your mess, that knowledge wins your heart. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” The cross proves I’m not a harsh God, wanting to punish sinful humans, I’m a servant God allowing you to punish me, if that’s what it takes to reach you.

But Religion, that enemy of the Cross, has made the story about right and wrong and punishment and repentance. That’s the opposite of what the story means.That won’t win you many friends in religious circles, God.

Mark, I’ve never had many friends in those circles. The cross is the ultimate demonstration that whatever you do, even right down to killing me, I’m still going to overlook it – “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” I just want connection. Ok, God, but what about where it says, ‘the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all’?

Can’t you see, Mark? Everything we’ve just talked about makes it obvious. We saw from before the beginning what your response would be when God was revealed as a man, and we decided we’d still do it. All three of us agreed to it. We are one. I, the Son, took your grief and mess and the punishment you meted out that day, the punishment that really you deserved yourself, I took it all on myself.

The three of us, as one, took the punishment you dished out on ourselves. We accepted it, allowed it, and Jesus the representative of the three of us that day, bore the excruciating pain.

I, the Father, allowed him to take it on himself, laid it, gently, lovingly on him. Because we are one, it meant I was also putting it on myself. And, I the Spirit, held his hand while the Father mopped his brow. We took your ‘sin’ upon us, Mark, your real sin, which is that you don’t believe our love. John 16:9

In Revelation it says about me ‘with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation’. Mark, I purchased them for God, not from him. I didn’t need to pay God for you. That would make me a hero and my father a villain. That’s a lie. The act of submitting to mob murder has melted the hearts of people, from every tribe and nation ever since. Don’t you get that?

Mark, that rubbish about ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’, is a lie, carefully concocted by the prince of lies. The real truth is ‘God in the hands of angry sinners’. A truth that breaks down the barriers between us. I submitted myself into the hands of an angry mob, an act so shocking, so humbling, an act that only a servant God, a loving and not angry Father could be capable of. And as a result, millions of hearts have turned to me.

The cross wasn’t so you could get into heaven. The cross was to demonstrate that the door to heaven is open, has always been and will always be. I endured the cross to demonstrate that whatever you do, I’m going to stand and wait ‘til you’re ready to respond. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”Ok God, so you keep quoting from the Bible, does that mean having the Bible is crucial? If so, what about the people who don’t? What about Christians who never have one? How do they manage to have a relationship with you God??

Explain your question, Mark. Break it down. Plenty of people will be deeply concerned that you would even ask.

I mean like continual, habitual reading of the Bible in order to hear what you are saying. I mean putting more effort into hearing you by reading scripture, than hearing you speak direct.

What did Paul tell you?

Well, I’m thinking about where he said we should imitate him, because he imitated you?

Exactly. Did Paul and I rely most heavily on scripture, or on hearing God speak direct?

Well, could the answer be bo…

The answer is not both, Mark! History proves that each of us had an extensive knowledge of scripture, but we could not survive without hearing from God direct, Spirit to spirit. Paul told you that he imitated me, and that you should imitate him.

So God, you’re saying that listening to you direct, Spirit to spirit, is more important than reading the Bible?

Much more im…

Hang on God this is a problem for people, Religious leaders have told them that listening to you direct is dangerous, we might hear wrong.

Yes, you might. It’s happened before and it will happen again. But then listening to me through the Bible is equally dangerous, Mark, that was the Pharisees’ key mistake.

John 5:39&40 “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want.”

TO BE CONTINUED. COMING SOON – PART THREE“God how important is the Bible, really?”

Slow down, Mark. With a headline like that, you’re threatening a whole bunch of sacred cows. Do you really want to do this?

I do. Us Christians think we know the answers to those questions without ever asking you personally.

But what, Mark?

But, God, I don’t like that idea! Surely we can’t just take what we think the Bible says, and not ask you personally?? So I’m asking you! What do you really think about Gays, God? And what about the Bible, how important is it – the early church didn’t have it and they got on fine. And one more question – were you honestly so intent on torturing me in hell for my sins, that Jesus had to be crucified in my place?

God, I used to think I knew the answers to all these questions, but I’m starting to wonder. You don’t seem as harsh as you used to, maybe I had the wrong idea about you? Lots of us are starting to wonder. But it’s stuff we daren’t ask about – stuff like the Gay question, the importance of the Bible and what the cross was about etc.

More than lots, Mark.

Ok, more than lots of us Christians are not so sure any more about some of that stuff, but don’t want to admit it in case we get shot down. The Religious will quote verses like ‘the love of many will grow cold’, but right now I’m not that interested in what they think – I want to know what you think, God! Lots of us do.

So why are you asking, Mark?

Because I’m past caring. I’m like bring it on, try and shoot me down if you want. I didn’t start these conversations with you to cause any trouble, but now that I’ve stirred up Religion and he’s screaming at me, I’ll admit I’m enjoying his pain. And anything that forces Satan to show his hand is good in my books, because God I’m going to get that Son of a #*@!! if it’s the last thing I do!

Why?

Because his servant Religion has stolen your people’s freedom, their families, their wealth and their health and all the while, pretended your voice. He’s twisted scripture, and confused your message. I want my foot on his neck, God, and that’s just the start of it.

He’s my son remember, Mark. I created him.

Ok well, sorry (confused). Do you want me to stop?

Do you want to?

No! Of course not, I want to do him serious harm, but…

It’s unfortunate, but necessary, Mark – this will make a lot of people unhappy. But it will also set a lot of people free. The two always go hand in hand. Saying the same old accepted things gives people comfort, but if you want to set people free, you need to break down walls. People go on and on about revival, but they’ll never see it if they keep doing and thinking the same things. Long before revival, there’s going to be a reformation. Just saying.

Alright, well God, lots of popular Bible interpretation doesn’t make sense to lots of us.

More than lots, Mark.

Ok fine, and God, I don’t think many Christians realise that for 2000 years the Church fathers have changed their minds back and forth about what key scriptures actually mean. What mainstream Christianity thinks about them now, wasn’t always what mainstream Christianity thought.

No. So which generation has been right, Mark?

I don’t know, God. That’s why I’m asking.

Mark, each new generation believes it has the truth. Christian missionaries once fervently believed that European culture was inherently Godly and that the ‘savages’ they were ‘called to’ needed to give up their culture, and their land, to make way for European ‘progress’.

Ok that’s fine, God, they were wrong, but today I want to ask you about other stuff like Gays and Lesbians, the Bible and whether you really did punish your son. Like, you know, let’s live dangerously and find out what you actually think.

Why have you left it till now to ask?

I discovered by accident how to have these conversations with you, that you will actually answer my questions instantly and in a way I can understand. The Bible says your thoughts are not our thoughts which is why I want to ask you these tough questions. I’m sick of hearing our thoughts on these matters, God, I want to know yours.

And God, the Bible also says ‘come let us reason together’. So I’m here to do that. I want to know the real truth about the Gay question, about where the Bible fits in your plan, and whether you really punished your son.

Anything else?

Heaps God, but that can all wait till another conversation. Stuff like tithing, our whole focus on heaven and getting saved to avoid hell.

You’ll make yourself very unpopular, Mark.

And God, that’s a pity because I’d love to be popular.

Well, you’re not going to be. Those in power and those who think it’s wrong to question this, will be on your case.

Ok, but what about you, will I be unpopular with you, God? Plenty of people already say that I am.

Mark, I love it when people believe I exist enough to actually ask questions, reason with me. That’s the whole foundation of Hebrews 11.

Alright cool. Because God, one day soon I’m going to ask you about spiritual warfare and whether we can swear at the devil, or whether that means we’re naughty and he doesn’t have to obey us. But not today. Right now it’s the Gay thing, the Bible and the idea that you punished Jesus in my place. A more careful read of the Bible and the Greek suggests that the common understandings aren’t necessarily true.

Mark, some men spend their lives searching the answers to those questions.

Ok fine, but I’m not them God, I’m not that patient, religious or nice. I want answers today if that’s alright.

Of course it is, Mark. I love it when people come expecting answers. If people reading this have trouble with your approach, they will find some comfort in these three passages of scripture. They’ll need to read them carefully, then look at the Greek, and hunt for the hidden but obvious correlations between all three passages. John 16:7-13, Hebrews 11:6 and Matthew 7:7. But Mark, before I answer your questions tell me where have you been?

You know exactly where I’ve been, God!

Yes. I’m making conversation Mark.

Ok God, I’ve been doing some research on the whole God/Gay question.

And which side are you on?

Well, God, I used to be fiercely anti-Gay and homophobic and always condemned them as wrong, but I’m starting to wonder…

That’s a dangerous position to take, Mark.

Well yes, around Christians it certainly is.

Mark, you’ll be accused of deception and leading people astray if you don’t condemn Gays and Lesbians. You know what it says in the Bible and what all the popular preachers and authors say.

Well, actually I don’t know so much about what the Bible says anymore God.

Mark, that’s even more dangerous.

Yes I know, and God, I suspect that those Christian leaders who trumpet loudest against Gays, don’t actually know what the Bible says either.

I don’t know any more to tell you the truth. The way we Christians have condemned Gays and Lesbians, we’re bordering on hypocrisy, and it’s because we have overlooked what the scriptures are really saying. The Bible says homosexuality is an abomination but it also says a huge list of other stuff is an abomination too – stuff that most Christians do all the time.

For instance, stirring up strife between brothers is also called an abomination – that’s pretty much an official past time in a lot of Churches, let’s be honest. But the final straw God, was when I got told of a very unkind comment from a Christian uncle to his Gay nephew and I was like what the heck?!?!

I realised that although the uncle was convinced he knew what the Bible says, he actually doesn’t. He was just parroting popular Christian thinking, and doing a lot of harm to his family. Stirring up strife among brothers.And God, I’ve been wondering if most of the Christian bigwigs, the ones who love the lime light…

Ease up, Mark, you love the lime light too.

Ok true, God. Sorry. (Feeling embarrassed).

Not an issue, Mark, it’s the way I made you and them, carry on with your story.

Ok, those Christian bigwigs get a lot of stage time attacking Gays, but I’m wondering if they’ve done their homework. Their comments make it pretty obvious they haven’t really spent any time studying what Paul wrote to the Romans, Corinthians and Timothy, or what Jude and the old testament say about all this. They sound wise, but they’re just trotting out the standard interpretation which has some gaping holes.

Dangerous, Mark.

Hang on, God, I’m on a roll here. I know it’s dangerous, but I want some straight up answers from you on all this.

That’s great, Mark. But it is dangerous.

Ok, well God, I wonder if they even know what the Greek says about Paul’s comments about homosexuality, or why the early church fathers were not in agreement with each other about what Paul meant. It’s not just the present day radicals as they call them, the early church fathers were questioning some of this.

Careful, Mark.

Well God, I’d put money on it, I bet they’ve never studied it carefully enough, never asked you personally if the popular interpretation is really true before they get on their platforms and start condemning people.

Careful, Mark.

Why?

Because if you poke and prod them they’ll poke and prod you.

I’m looking forward to it, God. Bring it on! I reckon a good scrap would do us all good. We’re so blimmen sanctimonious, us Christians. No wonder the rest of the world finds us so painful. We think our… well we think it doesn’t stink is all I’m saying.

A bit of public disagreement might bring us all, me included, down a notch. Do us good. There were important arguments in the early church, that suggest that modern Christianity might have it wrong about homosexuality.

What does the Bible say?

Well, it uses the word abomination, but there are big questions around what Paul was actually talking about. And I’m not sure that Christians realise that, or even want to know.

Mark, it’s not a problem unique to you Christians, it’s part of being human. Fear of being wrong drives all humans to block out arguments to the beliefs they hold dear. Some call it the ‘Ostrich Syndrome’.

Well God, right from the early church writers, there’s been disagreement about what Paul was talking about – did he mean homosexuality or did he mean the practise of temple prostitution, guys having sex with castrated priests. And that’s not the only question. In fact, almost none of the modern Bible scholars believe that Paul, even though he mentions women, was talking about Lesbians. It was definitely a male thing. So how does that fit??

There’s a lot of disagreement, God, a lot of wrestling over what it means, even among the real Bible scholars - but the rest of us never bother to question it. In truth, we have very little knowledge about what the Bible is really saying, and everyone knows a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Alright, but slow down, Mark. If you put aside all those disagreements and differences in translation, - even if you ignore that a significant number of the true scholars agree that what Paul wrote to Timothy about homosexuality, was some other writer, and not Paul at all…

See what I mean God! If we’re wrong about who wrote it, what else have we got wrong?? I mean we all think we know exactly what the bible says, but actually we don’t. Far from it.

But what about Sodom and Gomorrah Mark?

God that’s not even an argument. You said in Ezekiel that the real sin of Sodom was that she was ‘arrogant, overfed and unconcerned and did not help the poor and needy’ – sounds a lot like us selfish western Christians, me included to be honest.

Mark, slow down, all of that aside, what’s the other significant problem with what mainstream Christianity thinks I say about Gays?

Well, there are at least two gaping holes that anyone who knows even a wee bit of Bible can see… First up there’s the small matter…

Big matter, Mark.

Ok, big matter - when Paul talked about homosexuality, he also talked about adulterers and fornicators and liars in the very same verses. He doesn’t single homosexuals out as any different, he just lumps everyone in to the same boat.

Mark Gays and Lesbians would be understandably offended if you compared them with liars.

Well yes, but God, we all lie. Gay or straight, it doesn’t seem to matter. The Christian uncle who condemned his Gay nephew, I bet you he’s had problems with being truthful, we all have – well I have that’s for sure.But let’s put the liars like me aside, let’s just stick with us fornicators and adulterers - I think it’s time us Christians got real.

Research shows that between 70% and 80% of us Christian men look at pornography. You said if we lust in our hearts, we’ve committed adultery. When Paul talks about homosexuality being an abomination, he also says adultery is too.

What are you saying, Mark?

That 80% of us Christian men better think twice, look at the log in our own eye before we condemn someone who is Gay, because actually, as far as the Bible is concerned, we’re exactly the same in your eyes. We’re hypocrites if we condemn Gays. We need to condemn ourselves too.

We publically state that Gays and Lesbians are bad, going to hell, causing earthquakes and a whole bunch of other bull##&! We think we have scripture on our side, but the fact is, we’re so dumb we never bother to study it and find out what it all means.

And because the vast majority of Christians seldom hear you speak in full sentences or paragraphs, we only have a little bit of knowledge, which makes us dangerous, like a lynch mob. Us Christians aren’t allowed to burn or skin alive those we disagree with anymore, but we’re still very dangerous and damaging.

You can be fairly hypocritical yourself, Mark.

I know. I hate that! Us blimmen Christians have so buggered up the world with our hypocrisy and ‘Angry-God’ nonsense that no one knows what to think about you anymore.

No one, Mark?

Well, no one except kids, God. The younger the better. They seem to see past all the religious garbage and somehow know intuitively that you’re on their side and not cross at all. But us Christians portray you as a harsh judge. If we’re going to condemn Gays, I think we’d better first condemn ourselves.

No, Mark!

No what, God??

No, I don’t want you condemning yourselves, or Gays and Lesbians, or anyone else. Why must you Christians always focus our relationship on right and wrong, salvation and condemnation? Is your relationship with your own children about those things? Can you just relate to them, or is it all about rules?

Don’t start me, God. I always thought you were a loving Father, that’s how I described you anyway, but I also thought you punished your one true Son in my place. It sounded good, sounded like love, but I never really properly thought it through. But God, it doesn’t really add up does it? Let’s be honest.

Explain what you mean, Mark.

Well God, let’s say one of our kids, when they were young, had done something wrong and I was planning to punish them, and Miriam, wanting to spare them the pain, offered that I punish her instead.

That’s pretty much the story, Mark.

So it’s the truth, God?

I didn’t say that. Let’s take this slowly. It’s the way you Christians have come to understand the story.

Ok well, if Miriam offered to take the punishment in our child’s place, that would show that the child was loved, definitely by Miriam, but…

But what, Mark.

But if I agreed to Miriam’s offer and punished her in my child’s place, it would show that I was so intent on punishment, that I needed a victim, someone to vent my anger on. A court of law would call me a tyrant for that sort of behaviour and they’d be right! I don’t think you’re a tyrant, God, so there must be something wrong with the way we understand the story. It makes you look amazingly loving Jesus, but Father, it doesn’t put you in a very good light at all.

Mark, there are people who can no longer read this, they are incensed that you would question what they believe. They believe that the cross is the truth, and that’s that!

But God, I think the cross is the truth too. It’s clearly central to everything…

Well what are you saying then, Mark?

TO BE CONTINUED. COMING SOON – PART TWO “God, did you really punish your Son for my crimes?”

]]>Wed, 15 Nov 2017 11:00:00 GMThttp://www.thefreedomassignment.com/marks-blog-space/god-whyGod why does your voice sound like our own thoughts when we have a conversation with you?

God it makes it hard for people to have a conversation with you when your voice sounds a lot like their own thoughts. Why do you do that??

You already know the answers Mark.

I do?

You do. You’ve struggled with the same problem and demanded I explain it to you. Often. It’s a regular issue for you, just as it is for everyone else, so we’ve spoken of it often.

Ok true. But I thought you wanted to have a conversation about this, in writing, so others could read it and be helped by it.

Many will.

Many will what?

Be helped by it. It’s conversation-with-God 101. Everyone needs to know it. My voice sounds like your own thoughts at first because it’s meant to. Like a car is meant to start when you turn the key.

Really God? It’s very satisfying when a car starts at the first turn of the key, but very frustrating when having a conversation with you and realising that your answers might not be your answers after all because they sound like my own thoughts.

Yes. But there’s a reason for that, an important God-designed reason that is even more satisfying once you understand it. It’s like solving a mystery Mark, because it is a mystery this talking back and forth with me. A mystery that was designed to intrigue you in a way that compels you to solve it. It’s not hard but it is.Yes well let’s not get into that God. You say stuff like that with so much meaning…

Intrigue Mark. So much intrigue.

Ok you say stuff like that, “It’s hard, but it’s not”, with so much ‘intrigue’ behind it…

And meaning too Mark. I just wanted you to realise that I make statements like that, “It’s hard but it’s not”, because yes they contain deep meaning, but I also wanted you to see they are laced with intrigue to entice you to solve and understand them. I gave you a brain and I love it when you use it, in conversation with me, to solve life’s eternal, yet right-now mysteries.

Man God! I hope people can understand this. I can because I’m the one interpreting what you’re saying, but I’m not so sure anyone else will know what on earth you’re talking about.

Why are you able to understand it?

Because as I type the words I hear you speak, I’m also reading them as they hit the screen. And I recognise them, they’re my own words for what you’ve said. I’m the interpreter in this conversation, so I’m using my own way of speaking to interpret your voice.

Why do you use your own way of speaking when interpreting my voice?

Two reasons God. The first it’s the one I’m familiar with, every interpreter does that, if someone is interpreting a foreign speaker, no matter how much they try to interpret in a more universal language, their own ways of speaking come through.

Yes, what’s the other reason?

Well because I hate the silly ‘Christianese’ language that us Christians seem to have developed, it makes you sound distant and imperious and us pompous and just plain weird. And because I hate it I’m determined to interpret your voice in everyday language, the way I speak to anyone else. I can’t stand the horrible “Thus sayeth the Lords” and “The Lord would say unto this people”…

Why horrible Mark?

I don’t know God, it just makes my skin crawl. I suppose that’s not very spiritual of me to think like that, but it makes us Christians sound like a bunch of blimmen loonies – I mean what’s wrong with us, are we so removed from the real world that we have to speak this special language?? And frankly it makes you sound so distant too God.

Mark here’s the thing. Two things. I have made myself servant to you humans, it’s not a chore, I love it, I make myself a servant so that you can decide if you hear my voice and if you want to hear it; a servant so that you can dig up my voice and interpret it, or leave it sitting on the table.

Part of that dynamic, of allowing you to decide whether you’ll listen to my voice or not, of allowing you the right to interpret it rather than forcing you to listen to it; part of that is you get to interpret my voice in any language you want. So when you Christians decide to use your imperious prophetic sounding language – “The Lord would say unto you this day…” I allow that. I’m your servant. I submit my voice to your interpretation and if you want to speak it in your special Christian language then you can. It’s not my first choice, but I fit with it because it’s your choice.

That’s two things God, it sounded like about fifteen?!?

Actually it was just one. Here’s the second, I’ll fit with whatever language you want to interpret my voice in. I’m your servant remember. That’s a hard concept for you Christians to get your head around. But if you ask me what sort of language to interpret my voice in, then I’ll tell you to do it in the language of the people.

If you’re not sure about that then look at my life. My whole life from birth to death was lived in the language of the people. I was born, like so many, an illegitimate child. Actually in worse conditions than most. I died a death no more glamorous than anyone else’s, in fact worst that most. My very life was lived in ‘your language’. I got down to your level. And when I spoke to humans I spoke the way they spoke, not imperious, just the way they spoke.

Point God?

If you speak in imperious Christianese you can still speak my words. That’s your choice, but you create distance between me and the people I am speaking to. You make me sound high and away and not like them – hard to fathom, impossible to get to know on a true friendship basis. But I am exactly like them. I’m a man. I made myself a man in order to prove my love for you.

And Mark before you point it out, this conversation hasn’t been about your original question – ‘why does my voice sound like your thoughts when we have a conversation?’

Well God in a funny sort of way I’m thinking it has.

Aaah, now you’re beginning to get good at this. Tell me why you think it has.

Well because you’re talking all about how in a conversation with you it’s us interpreting your voice.

Yes?

And when we interpret your voice we do it in our own words.

Yes?

And that means your words, as they arrive in our minds, because you speak to our thoughts, your words sound… well they sound like our thoughts?

Exactly.

When a man interprets a foreign speaker, he is familiar with that foreign language, but doesn’t speak it every day.

And so Mark?

Well it means his own words spoken in interpretation are clearer to him than the words the foreigner spoke. His own words are clearer because they are not only the interpretation, but they are his own words.

Exactly Mark.

Hah! That’s what you’re saying isn’t it!! When I interpret your voice, your words sound like mine because having heard your words in my mind I’m articulating them into my own written words, or speaking them out loud in my own spoken words?!?

Yes. And there’s another important reason I speak in a way that sounds like your own voice.

Why God?

So that you can become used to it, familiar with it, and not have to take any notice of it if you don’t want.

Huh?

Don’t sound so surprised Mark, we’ve gone over this principle together many times.

Ok true, but it does still sound very unlike the God that Religion has taught us about.

Yes that god is not me Mark. That god is the one the bible calls “The accuser”. That god demands all kinds of obedience and servitude, in the name of love. That god punished his son in your place because he needed a victim for his anger at sin. That’s not love, that’s menace and domination Mark. It’s time you all saw through it. You want revival? Forget about it while you’re trying to foist an angry vindictive behaviour-focused God on the world. It won’t work with this generation, they know more about me than you do quite often. And they know that I’m not that angry grumpy god that Religion teaches you about.

Alright, so why do you want us to be able to be familiar with, used to, not have to take any notice of your voice?

You know that too Mark. You tell me.

Ok because it means we only respond to your voice if we want to. We don’t end up forced to have a conversation with you like we would if you spoke in a loud thundering audible voice. If you did that we’d all be flat on our faces. There’d be no point God.

Why would there be no point Mark? The god who accuses you says that if you are compelled to relationship, if you feel the pressure from him to pray and read your bibles and rid your lives of sin that you’ll be able to avoid hell and enter everlasting life. What is it that makes his lie so devastating? Why is there no point in being compelled to conversation with me?

Because you’re not trying to save us from hell, you’re trying to have a relationship with us. A friendship. You can’t have a relationship by force. That god, the god of religion is the god of force and domination. He wants us on our knees for hours pouring out our hearts, you want us having a conversation, a friendship, a back and forth conversation where we enjoy you, and you us. And if there’s anything that needs sorting out, fixing up, that’ll sort of just happen as part of the process – your Holy Spirit will help with that.